"Tir na-Og," the land of eternal youth, lying far out in the ocean, is a part of Irish mythology since the day the ancient legends were told for the first time. Judging from the numbers, the Irish as a people seem to have found this land on the North American continent. Between 1800 and 1920, the time frame for this paper, almost five million people left Ireland for the United States alone, while the 1871 Canadian census shows that about one quarter of all Canadians were of Irish ethnicity.
Looking at the literature covering that particular period of time, it becomes clear that there are two ideas about the Irish in North America in circulation. The first one is that most Irish immigrants were Catholics, who had to leave Ireland because they were suppressed by an English, that is, Protestant government, and later on because of the Great Famine. They were poor, uneducated, and unskilled and had a tendency to drinking and violence. Once in North America, they went mostly to the United States, where they were a suppressed minority. They settled in the cities, where they lived in Irish "ghettos" and found jobs mostly as unskilled or semiskilled labourers. This idea is argued in history books that were published between the late 1930s and mid-1980s, and their authors are mostly American. Two names appear regularly: Lawrence McCaffrey and Patrick Blessing.
The other idea about the Irish in North America goes like this: In most cases they left their island out of economic hardship, were either farmers or belonged to the working or lower middle class. The religious affiliation of the first to come was Protestant, they went to Canada, where they blended in with the rest of society. Later on, the Irish immigrants were mostly Catholics who went to the United States, where they partly made the ghetto-experience. Historians suggesting this approach to the Irish immigrants published from the early 1980s to the end of the 1990s, and are for the most part Canadian. And here also two names appear regularly: Mark McGowan and Donald Akenson.
[...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Irish Catholics in American Historiography
3. The Irish Catholics in Canadian Historiography
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper aims to provide a comparative analysis of the distinct historiographical traditions concerning Irish Catholic immigrants in the United States and Canada. By evaluating the evolution of academic perspectives between the late 1930s and the end of the 1990s, the study examines how varying socioeconomic factors, religious affiliations, and settlement patterns have shaped the historical narrative of the Irish diaspora in North America.
- Comparison of historical interpretations regarding Irish migration motivations and experiences.
- Examination of the "ghetto-experience" and urban versus rural settlement patterns.
- Analysis of the role of the Catholic Church and religious identity in the acculturation process.
- Investigation of sociopolitical assimilation and the impact of the "Irish" identity in North American society.
- Critique of potential authorial biases and the influence of national contexts on historiography.
Excerpt from the Book
The Irish Catholics in American Historiography
The American colonies saw the first Irishmen as early as the mid-17th century; but the bulk was to come with the Great Famine migration post-1845. For the American historians, everything starts with the Famine, it is the watershed in American Irish history. As stated earlier, the main idea about the Irish immigrants in American historiography is that they were Catholics, who had to leave Ireland, first because they were suppressed by an English government, and later on because of the Great Famine. Patrick Blessing makes the argument that “under Cromwell [1640s] the trickle of indentured servants developed into a tide as thousands of involuntary Catholic emigrants – political and military prisoners and their dependents – were sold into servitude.” This tide continued in the 18th century, when the Anglo-Irish government imposed sentences of transportation for a variety of reasons. Lawrence McCaffrey lists other circumstances as well: Protestants owned ¾ of arable land on the island, while Catholics were completely banned from any sort of social life by the Penal Codes of the 17th century.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the mythological origins of the Irish and outlines the divergent historical perspectives surrounding the Irish diaspora in the United States and Canada.
2. The Irish Catholics in American Historiography: The author details how American scholarship characterizes Irish immigrants as impoverished, urban-dwelling Catholics defined by the Great Famine and suppressed by the English.
3. The Irish Catholics in Canadian Historiography: This section explores the Canadian counter-narrative, which emphasizes the Protestant majority among Irish immigrants and their integration into rural Canadian society.
4. Conclusion: The concluding chapter summarizes the key differences in historiographical timing and national perspectives, while noting the limitations in the current academic consensus regarding the Irish experience in North America.
Keywords
Irish immigrants, North America, Historiography, Great Famine, Catholicism, Protestantism, Acculturation, Irish diaspora, Social mobility, Urban ghettos, Migration, Identity, Canada, United States, Historical analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on comparing how historians in the United States and Canada have interpreted and documented the experiences of Irish Catholic immigrants over different historical periods.
What are the central themes of the work?
Central themes include the reasons for Irish emigration, the perception of the "ghetto" experience, religious identity (Catholic vs. Protestant), and the varying levels of assimilation in the host societies.
What is the primary goal of the study?
The primary goal is to identify and explain the discrepancies between American historiography, which often focuses on the post-Famine urban Catholic experience, and Canadian historiography, which frequently emphasizes earlier migration waves and rural Protestant settlement.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The work utilizes a comparative historiographical analysis, reviewing and contrasting literature published by American and Canadian historians from the 1930s through the late 1990s.
What is treated in the main body of the text?
The main body examines the specific arguments presented by prominent historians in both countries, analyzing their views on economic status, social mobility, and the political influence of the Irish within their respective nations.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include Irish diaspora, North American historiography, Great Famine, Catholic-Protestant relations, and comparative immigration studies.
How does the author explain the difference between American and Canadian perceptions of the Irish?
The author argues that the timing of research and the actual demographic makeup of the Irish groups that arrived in each country influenced the historical narratives, with American history being dominated by the post-Famine urban influx.
Why does the author argue that historiography can be a political issue?
The author highlights that many historians in the field write from a personal or national bias, often aiming to defend Irish Catholicism or to establish a distinct national identity, which can color the objectivity of their historical findings.
- Quote paper
- Jana Berger (Author), 2001, Irish Catholics in Canadian and American Historiography, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/6615
